I'll Hold You
by FreelanceFangirl
Summary: Dark flashbacks haunt sixteen-year old Kyle and his little sister Celeste. From being homeless in an alleyway, to the magnificent house of the X-men. Will Kyle eventually put his trust into them? Even if lessons are learned, someone watches over them. Eager to take back what is theirs.
1. Chapter 1

Tall, dark buildings loomed over the urban jungle, making the small city as crowded as ever. Situated between two, an alleyway sat practically under the buildings. It was dim, and littered with rubbish. It proved to be a haven for rats and unwanted smells.

Two blue orbs bored into grey, and a meek voice sounded "I'm hungry".

"I know, Celeste"

A mass of matted hair, stained an indistinguishable colour, looked up to the one in the brown ragged jacket. A tug at his sleeve made him look down again. "Please, Kyle"

Kyle, who had the same hair of his six year old sister, sighed. The dark circles under his eyes were almost black, and his tall but malnourished frame didn't represent the fact that he was nearly sixteen.

"I suppose we can eat the soup now" he said, getting the dented can labelled "Potato and Leek" out of his pocket. Using his bare hands, the can was open in seconds and handed to his sister. She sat down on the concrete ground, both hands wrapped round the tin tightly as if it would shatter into a million pieces. Kyle joined her on the floor, smiling weakly.

"Make sure you eat it all, it's been a while since we had any food. Watch the sharp sides."

Nodding, Celeste took a long gulp o the cold meal, devouring nearly half in a matter of seconds. She extended her arms to her brother.

"Now you" Her eyes once again went to his, soft blue to piercing grey.

"No. You need it more than me, I'll be fine for little longer" His empty stomach said otherwise, but the will to keep his sister just a little bit less starving made him ignore it.

"You're sick, I know you are. Please Kyle, please please please-"

"Alright alright, a little, but promise you'll eat the rest" He took the can from her and took a short sip. The substance barely anything off the edge of his seemingly unlimited hunger. Handing the can back to Celeste, she drank the rest as promised.

After a few moments, rain began to fall. Lightly spitting out of the sky and influenced dark clouds to cover the fully luminous moon. Kyle looked up, and noticed that almost complete darkness surrounded them.

"Time for bed now I think, we can find more food in the morning" He took his sister's hand and led her to their make-shift bed. This consisted of a thick piece of cardboard laid diagonal to the brick wall that protected them from common sight. Newspaper covered the ground, slightly soggy and blotched from the elements. Celeste laid down and watched her brother take his usual place.

Kyle stood slanted, with his back against the wall. All his senses were honed in, keen on protecting his sibling from the night.

"You never sleep" Celeste whispered to herself, before drifting off to the sounds of the rain lightly hitting the card above her.

The grey eyed one watched his sister sleep, and felt a small weight lift off his shoulders. He hunched himself over, before vicious coughs racked his entire body. It took a full minute, until he manage to rid himself of them by punching the wall behind him. The pain distracted him from the plague that seemed to have overtaken his body.

_"Why us, why her? She's done nothing wrong" _

He didn't like sleep. It wasn't safe.

His fingers followed the trail of scars left on his arm, which leaded up to his shoulder. His heart missed a beat, as he fought the urge to let his head nod into sleep. Another cough made his chest strain for breath, and exhausted his body. Eventually, somewhere in the late night, he fell asleep against the brick wall that supported him.

A momentous bang startled both Kyle and Celeste awake, the latter immediately crawled up to her brother, trembling.

Two large shadows appeared on the alley's wall, illuminated by the moon's light. It was still night.

_"I fell asleep" _Kyle inwardly kicked himself for allowing him to be so weak. He kept his hands behind his back, and allowed his acute hearing to track the shadow's movements. In almost no time at all, two figures appeared from the corner. Both were large, burly men. One sporting a skin-head, and the other long black hair. They didn't seem to have pleasant intentions at all.

"Here're the little buggars" One said, smiling with the few teeth he had. They both began to walk up to the sibling duo, fists clenched.

Kyle pulled Celeste behind him, and gave the men a menacing stare.

"Come one step closer to me, and I'll cut your fucking faces off" He snarled, all focus on the two in front of him. Celeste kept close, hands holding the jacket front of her tightly.

"You're 'avin a laugh" Said the black-haired one, taking another step closer. "I'll knock you straight out you little punk. Might have to keep the other one for a bit long-" He was cut off as a chunk of his cheek was ripped out.

Kyle panted heavily with a mix of adrenaline, fear and rage. His arms were out beside him, revealing long, wolf-like claws protruding as if they were fingernails. His hair had become noticeably thicker, and his canines peeked out just a little. Not exactly a new-moon transformation, but close enough to be just as deadly.

The black-haired man screeched, as he lurched round and lunged as Kyle. Standing his ground, he aimed for the neck this time. Futile it proved, as he was pinned against the wall in a deathlock. Celeste managed to dive out the way just in time, taking refuge in her den.

_"Stop it!" _She screamed, tears streaming down her face creating clear stripes on her cheeks. Again it proved futile, as Kyle was punched in the gut. Doubled over, he hissed as he was pushed into the wall again. His eyes saw stars, as it not only hit the brick, but another fist which made him fly a few meters.

The skinhead began to approach Celeste, as the other kept his foot on Kyle's head, forcing him into the ground. Sharp pieces of gravel grated against one side of his face, making it bleed raw. Celeste screamed again, and clutched her head as her own mutated power managed to break free.

The large man fell to his knees, hands pounding his head in agonising pain as it felt like a thousand shards of glass were cutting his brain. The other man stared horrified at his partner, and then diverted his attention to the young girl. Kyle felt the immense pressure on his head relieve, but was met with more pain as he clutched his stomach. Blood had soaked his clothing, and was running down his neck at the large cut on his cheek. When he tried to get up, his left leg proved to be uncommitted.

_"Celeste!" _He inwardly screeched, seemingly unable to have the mental capacity to speak.

His sister pushed as far into the wall as possible, still clutching her head, when a sudden calmness flooded her mind.

_"Celeste." _It said, a soothing voiced filled her ears making her cease movement. _"I'm here to help"_

The voice she heard came seemingly out of no where, before two other figures barreled into the narrow alley. One was tall, the other short. One gritted his teeth at the attackers, and the other focused all his attention on the small girl in front of him. Both had came to their aid.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Erik, we don't want them dead" _Charles look at the man, who was currently seething at the men. You could practically see the fury pour off his strong and taut body.

_"Indeed"_ Was all that was projected back, after he extended his arm out to magnetically grab a nearby dumpster. It was smashed into the skinhead at an incomprehendable force. Looking at the other man, he lifted his hand up which had hold of the heavy belt the black-haired man wore. Erik tossed the man to the side, and like a ragdoll the burly man flew and landed with a skid on the concrete.

With another magnetic pull, Erik pulled them both towards him, stopping when they were face-to-face.

"You guys are fucking morons" He whispered, and then flung them at opposite sides of the alley. A wired fence that caught his eye, was immediately torn off its supports and caged both men like dogs. His fist tightened, which made the fence almost mold around the men's bodies, making it as claustrophobic as physically possible. He didn't bother wondering if he'd killed them or not.

With Erik focused on juggling the two men, Charles rushed to the boy who was currently writhing with pain. As soon as he got close enough however, Kyle shrieked and swiped at the strange man.

Taking a quick scan of his mind, Charles kneeled down and attempted to calm the youth.

_"Kyle - calm, calm. I'm Charles Xavier, I am not here to cause you any harm. Me and my brother only want you safe and are here to help." _

Even with that mental note, it still not stop the outstretched claws from almost taking his nose off. The telepath didn't need his powers to see how weak and ill this child was.

"Charles"

He looked round to see Erik behind him, his hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take it from here, you go to the girl."

He nodded, and slowly went to the small girl huddled in the corner, petrified. She whimpered as Charles got closer, inching his hand out in front of her.

_"Hello, Celeste"_

_"How do you know my name? Who are you, what are you going to do to us?" _She emitted the thoughts to him, and Charles smiled at the fact that she also possessed telekinesis powers.

_"All those questions will be answered. But for now, I'm Charles Xavier, and me and my brother are going to help you. We can give your brother help, is that fine with you?" _He reached out his palm, and her small hand tightened around his. She showed him a small smile.

_"I've been waiting for you"_

The loss of blood and energy was starting to exhaust Kyle, hew grew still as another stranger knelt down beside him. Erik gently took the boy's hands, and put them above his head so that he couldn't try and fight back. Grey eyes filled with fear as he tried to get up and force his arms out of the metal-wielder's grasp, only to be pushed down by his own tiredness and a gentle palm to his chest. Another writhe and squirm to try and escape, which completed depleted Kyle's energy, which resulted in his reluctant unconsciousness.

Erik gazed down at the youth, and picked him up carefully. The boy was fragile, and Erik held him close against his chest as he and Charles made their way back. Both held precious cargo in their hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please read and review!**

Quiet murmurs was the first thing Kyle could hear, as his consciousness regained slowly. It took a few seconds, for all comprehension to return to him. His eyes bolted open, and his vision was met with blinding white light, blurred into a single strike in his sight. A new wave of fear flooded over his exhausted body, which made him launch his body up from the metal table he was laying on.

Catching his breath, he looked around the room he was in. It was large, and clinical. A lab.

_N-not again_

His thoughts were confirmed when he turned around to where the speaking was coming from. An extremely tall man had his back to him, speaking to the other.

_In a white coat_

A flash of thought caused a spark of pain in his head, and Kyle flinched.

_I have to leave_

Diving off the examination table, he alerted the two adults who were not too far from him.

"Kyle, wait!" Shouted a familiar voice.

_Xavier._

The boy sprinted to the glass sliding doors, and practically launched himself out of them, skidding into a hallway. Barely recovering, each step seemed to suck the energy out of him, only a few resulted in him half-limping the way. Kyle could hear hastening footsteps approaching him, but he felt blinded with panic. He suddenly fell to the ground, and it felt like he had hit a wall of steel.

Looking down, Erik saw that the boy had ran straight into him, probably giving him a concussion in the process. He then saw Hank, with Charles not far behind him, speeding down the hall.

A groan came from Kyle, who was sprawled out on the floor and still.

"It seems our guest decided to have a little exercise" Said Hank to Erik, who picked him up. The youth laid limply in his arms, out like a light again.

"Probably a bit uncertain about the environment you put him in, I doubt I'd like to wake up in the doctor's office." The metal-wielder began to walk away.

"Where are you taking him, brother?" Said Charles, hand on his shoulder.

"To a room, a bed. I think that will be a little more comfortable, don't you agree?" He didn't wait for a reply as he headed through the mansion.

For the second time, Kyle opened his eyes. Greeted with the musky scent of wooden furniture, and in a large, four-poster bed, his body felt a little more at ease. He was still tense however, at the unfamiliar place that he had been seemingly dropped in.

"_I need to find Celeste_" He thought, carefully lifting the thick duvet off him and swinging his legs to the side of the bed. Another flinch, as pain clawed its way from his left leg, as well as a dull ache in his stomach. He stopped suddenly, sensing a presence by the oak door to the room.

"I see you're awake, feeling well-rested I hope?" Asked Erik, leaning against the frame.

"Where's my sister." Kyle said, it wasn't a question.

"I do believe she is…"

A blur of white hair sped out from behind him, nose-diving into the bed.

"I'm here!"

He accepted the hug she gave him tightly, her fluffy locks tickling his nose.

"You're so clean Cel, what did they do to you?" He took her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes. He enjoyed seeing his sister healthy and happy, but he still didn't trust these people.

"They gave me medicine, and some shots" She made a face. "But I've had lots and lots of food and~"

He let her ramble off, nodding now and then, but focused his attention on the one standing in the door.

"Where are we?" Questioned Kyle, studying the man's face.

"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, a safe haven for mutants who are in need of aid. Seems we found you just in time"

"We don't need your help, we could cope" Said the boy, with fire in his eyes.

Erik chuckled, "You nearly died out there, we saved you and your sister, be grateful for that. Come on Celeste, I believe lunch is waiting downstairs for you"

With a happy nod, she came off Kyle's lap and bounded out of the room. Kyle watched her, still reluctant to have his sister out of his sight. He looked down and realised he was still in his blood soaked shirt and jacket. He felt a hint of embarrassment at feeling so grimey in such a clean place.

"I'll draw you a bath, but please refrain from getting up again, you tore a ligament in your ankle." Erik walked into the ensuite bathroom, returning once he had started the taps.

"Come" He said, helping his stand by placing his arms around the boy's waist and underarm. They made their way to the bathroom, which held a large tub already filling with warm water.

Hesitant, Kyle shyed away from the man when he made a move to remove his shirt.

"I have no intention of hurting you, Kyle. I don't think bathing you fully-clothed will be very effective in getting you cleaned." He showed a sympathetic smile, understanding how hard it must be for such a diligent teenager to adjust to being told what to do.

Bowing his head, the youth relaxed a little. Erik carefully took off his jacket and shirt, and felt his blood boil when he saw the sixteen year old's back laced with scars and black bruises. He then helped him into the tub.

Kyle seemed to develop a new skin tone, as layers of blood, dirt and grime ware scrubbed away. His hair turned the same white as his sister's, after black slime and grease were washed away.

He was also given new clothes, borrowed, but still hung loosely from his thin body. He wore dark sweatpants and a navy t-shirt. Erik helped him onto the bed again.

"You certainly look better" Exclaimed Hank, as he made his way in, swinging a doctors bag by his side. Kyle's eyes widened, and he pressed against the pillows.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just need to bind your ankle and check that you're not seriously hurt." Hank smiled kindly at the teenager, who only scowled back.

Gently taking his foot, he began to wrap it in a thick bandage so that it stayed supported in an 'L' shape. He then proceeded to check the boy over, shining a torch in his eyes and taking his temperature. Kyle felt uncomfortable during this, and had to keep his fists clenched in the duvet to prevent lashing out. The doctor was being gentle enough, he supposed, unlike others he had encountered.

Taking out his stethoscope, Hank then took up Kyle's shirt and pressed it to his chest.

"You have a severe chest infection, Kyle. I'll have to prescribe antibiotics, and bedrest for now. It probably diagnosis your continuous cough as well"

Kyle sighed, and clutched his stomach as it groaned loudly.

"And I'll prescribe some pancakes, with an extra helping" Chuckled Erik, smiling fondly at the boy.


	4. Chapter 4

A golden strip of light shone through the curtains, causing the one asleep to stir eventually.

Kyle opened his eyes a crack, to see that he was in Erik's bed, still comfortably tucked in. He sat up and observed the dust particles in the air, and sat in a daze for a good few minutes. The place was so peaceful, until a thought entered his head.

"I slept"

Kyle hadn't had a well-rested sleep for months. Constantly festered with worrying thoughts, and the promise to keep his sister safe, seemed to deem it impossible before he came to the mansion.

He didn't feel pleased and felt unaccustomed to the feeling of sleeping in such a large place, with people who are still complete strangers.

"It won't happen again" He thought, removing the covers and standing up to stretch. His sharp hearing picked up on footsteps heading for the door.

"I see that you slept well" Said Erik, opening the door slowly and smiling.

"Yeah" Kyle kept his gaze low, still a little intimidated by the man, "Uh, what are we doing today?"

"I see" Said Hank, looking intrigued, "So your mutation allows your to have the traits of a dog or wolf. Resulting in your acute sense of smell and hearing."

"And these" Kyle clenched his fists, the revealed his short claws that had taken the place of his fingernails"

"Your hair got just a tad thicker as well" Marvelled Charles, "Reminds me of another mutant I used to know"

Kyle smiled a little unsurely. It was the first time he had willingly showed his mutation, instead of being forced to.

"And I understand that young Celeste here has the same power as me, telekinesis" Said Charles, smiling at the small girl beside him, who held his hand.

"Yeah! I can move stuff, only a little though. But if you think of a number I bet I can guess it!"

Erik chuckled under his breath when she pointed a finger at him enthusiastically and shouted "12!"

"Will you feel comfortable in learning how to enhance your abilities, as well as learning how to control them masterfully?" Asked Charles, attention on Kyle once again.

The teen hesitated, but only needed his sister's eager nod as conformation.

"Alright then, we'll do it. Just…no combat training yet please" He managed a smile, but still felt anxious.

The day was drawing to a close after an eventful day of touring the entire mansion, being educated on how things worked, and being introduced to the rest of the household. Feeling as though he lacked social skills, Kyle just nodded as he was being acquainted. Celeste, on the other hand, had now made two best friends in the space of two minutes, and was currently having a tea party with them. Alex, an older boy of around seventeen, had said how she was "a bundle of white hair and pretty eyes" and gave her a small noogie on the head.

Still alert, Kyle kept a close eye to ensure that his sibling was happy here and watched anyone who came close. The two girls who were Celeste's new friends, were Rosie and Jasmine, twin sisters who both had the power to grow their hair extremely long. A pro if you enjoy excessive braiding.

After the completion of his rounds, Erik came to Kyle's room and knocked on his door.

"Come in"

"Time for bed now, remember that it's school tomorrow. Breakfast is at 7:30 sharp" He said, chuckling at the small frown he was met with. "I'll be teaching you for languages. I think Spanish will suit you just fine, don't you?"

"I guess so. I'm not that good at reading, or writing. I stopped school at nine, and Celeste even earlier. She won't get bullied will she?"

"She'll be fine. Just look at her now, already making friends. She's a bright girl, and you too – you'll pick up where you left off in no time. If anyone does give you any trouble, you come straight to me or any of the other leaders, okay?"

"Yeah" The youth replied simply, sighing a little.

"Goodnight"

Kyle rolled over to look at the digital clock on his nightstand.

'3:46am' read the numbers, which were slightly burred in his vision.

He wasn't having too much trouble staying up, having grown accustomed to it whilst living on the streets. Yet, the comfortable bed didn't help his plight. The teen groaned, and faced the ceiling, hands resting on his stomach.

"_Just a few more hours,_

_Then I won't have to face the dark,_

_The danger,_

_The fear"_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

It had been a week since Kyle and Celeste had arrived at the Xavier Mansion, and it was spent trying to fit into the new routine. School had been an entirely new experience for Celeste, who was still grasping the basics of reading and writing, whereas Kyle was struggling to remember years back when he actually attended the place. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, resulting in him not making any friends. Socialising was kept to a minimum in his school days, and none of the other students seemed to bother with trying to make a conversation. His younger sister had no trouble at all gaining the friendship of several girls, and she thrived after finally being freed from her life of seclusion.

"How are you adjusting to all this, Kyle?"

The one in question raised his head from the television programme he was unenthusiastically watching.

"It's alright, I guess" 

"Only alright?" The professor frowned slightly, and fought the urge to probe further into the teenagers mind to see what depressed him so.

"Just takes some getting used to"

_I have to stay awake_

The adolescent was already halfway through the night with no sleep to speak of. The odd nod of the head only made him panic further, urging him to stay awake until morning came. If he slept, vicious nightmares would haunt him, screams ringing through his ears making his blood run cold.

_I have to stay awake_

With a start, Kyle woke from his daze to find Erik at his door.

"Training" Was all he said, and he went away.

Kyle had already have three training sessions in the week, each focusing on honing his senses and enhancing them. He remembered that he was going to try a scenario today.

Entering the underground chamber, he smiled at Charles and Erik, who stood waiting for him.

"Charles is here to project scenarios. Although fake, you have to give all you've got to bring every opponent down, we want to see how much power you can muster using your mutation."

"So this is…combat training?" A shudder ran through Kyle's spine.

"In a way" Said Charles, placing a hand on boys shoulder, "but we just need to see how far you can go in your own field. Nothing too over the top, I'm sure you'll do fine."

After a few minutes, the simulation had begun, and Kyle was met with a man of average stature in a camo green outfit.

"Begin"

The opposer jogged towards him, aiming a punch. Unleashing his claws, Kyle leapt forward and slashed his chest. The figure dissolved.

Two others appeared either side of him now, aiming punches which were met with further slashes.

The next appeared closer to Kyle, only a couple of meters away. The boys eyes widened at what he was holding.

Sensing his discomfort, Charles called out "remember, it's only a simulation. Nothing is real here, you can fight it!"

With hair stood on end, and arms shaking, Kyle watched his opponent jog up to him, waving a black pistol in his hand.

_Tears welled up in Celeste's eyes as she clutched onto her brother, "I'm scared"._

"_I won't let him hurt you, I promise."_

"_But what if he hurts you?"_

"_I won't let him do that either." Said Kyle, shaking as he was pushed by the barrel of a pistol lodged in his back. He held onto her hand tightly, "I promise."_

The figure was still running towards him, expressionless. Kyle froze, then fell, as darkness tunnelled his vision and his exhaustion was finally met with closed eyes.


End file.
